metal
Distorted guitars, crazy rhythms, dense bass, and insane vocals. What it means to be a metal head.
The Noisy Ensemble of HEALTH's "DISCO4."
Synth/noise-rock band HEALTH have a new album, and it's an echo chamber with a myriad of voices in the realms of the obscure and the accessible, for both those who prefer the rough and the clean. You may know Health’s sound, which weaves seamlessly between the industrial and the electronic (yet rarely strays from the chaotic) via their tracks in video games such as Max Payne 3, Grand Theft Auto, or Cyberpunk 2077 or perhaps their partaking in film/television such as Atomic Blonde or, strangely enough, 13 Reasons Why. But they should not be overlooked in terms of their listenability outside of those other mediums. They’ve released four albums prior to the two-part album that this article is about, ranging from the noise rock to EBM to pure synthpop with no distortion in sight.
By J.C. Traverse4 years ago in Beat
I’m Not Your Token
We’re not your tokens. That’s what I always say. Only rock n roll can move my soul. Yes I like Bone Thugs and Outkast every now and then and I love 80s and 90s R&B. But the thing that’s get my blood flowing and the tears streaming down my face is rock n roll. From classic rock to heavy metal, in the words of Joan Jett, put another dime in the jukebox baby.
By Tee Richardson 4 years ago in Beat
My Heavy Halloween Playlist
Making a perfect Halloween playlist requires a lot of thought. Obviously the songs should at least loosely follow a Halloween-based theme. I created my playlist with the intention of including a mixture of different artists and different Halloween-related themes. I have to admit that the music I chose for my Halloween party playlist would not appeal to everyone, but I feel like it is well-suited for the purpose of keeping the spirit of Halloween going strong.
By Dawn Salois4 years ago in Beat
Why I'm a Metallica Fan
I've meant to write this particular piece for some time now, but two significant reasons have kept me from doing so. The first is that I needed the timing to feel right to showcase my endless adulation for my favorite musicians. The second is that I wanted to find a good headspace to write about them so I could do them justice. Metallica is approaching its 40th anniversary. In addition, they have recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of their critically acclaimed album self entitled the Metallica Album, better known as the Black Album, so I feel the time has come to write this long-awaited love letter. And as far as finding a good headspace for writing, I have learned that there is no time like the present. So, here is why I became a Metallica fan.
By James U. Rizzi4 years ago in Beat
Born To Raise Decibels: Inside The Loudest Band Of All Time
‘It will be so loud that if we move in next door to you, the lawn will die’ - Lemmy, Motörhead The above quote comes from a time when groups were competing for a listing in the Guinness Book Of World records as the loudest recorded band - a listing that has since been removed for health reasons.
By Alexander Belsey4 years ago in Beat
The Weeb
Back during the prime of the pop punk and emo days, screamo and metal were as angsty as it could get. In the United States, bands like Paramore, Panic at the Disco, Fall Out Boy, Black Veil Brides, Blink182, Blood on the Dance Floor, and My Chemical Romance were the bread and butter of the pop punk/emo scene. And although I participated in some of the usual pop punk culture, there was something about anime that really had me hooked. When a good theme song came on, you instantly sang along, or at least enthusiastically hummed along if you didn't know any Japanese. When I was 12, I didn't really have any friends, I was kind of a loner and I think my parents had just gotten married again after being divorced for a couple of years. Not the best time of my life but not the worst either. Back during that odd time in my life, anime WAS my life. Animes like Naruto, Bleach, Fairy Tail, and Soul Eater were everything. But one anime in particular introduced me to what would be the key to my teenage angst and what would eventually lead me to my Kpop obsession at the age of 14. That anime was Black Butler.
By Kaylee Anderson5 years ago in Beat
My Security Blanket of Brutalism: This Will Destroy You's "Tunnel Blanket" at 10
It was a warm day in Glendale, California. The sun shined rays of light and positivity down on me as I made my way home from the World Gym on Colorado Street. I took in the greenery of the quiet neighborhoods around me and let the silent comfort of solitude and vitamin D wash over me. My mind began to wander.
By Andrew Martin Dodson5 years ago in Beat
A Day To Remember
While trying to figure out which songs to do for the "Zen Playlist" challenge now that I am finally a vocal plus member, I realized a the playlist was dominated by songs from "A Day To Remember". So I figured, why not just dedicate an entire article to them? As a quick refresher I actually discussed this band in a previous article of mine, I will have said article linked.
By Dyllon Rodillon5 years ago in Beat
Catharsis: An Insight into the Effects of Metal and Extreme Music
When most people think of metal music, they may imagine violent scenes of devils and bloody gore and mosh pits. However, those observations are only on the surface level. Ever since the metal genre’s inception in the late 20th century, it’s been held up as a danger to youth and all who dare listen due to the rebellious and extreme overtones of the scene. To worried parents, the “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” lifestyle was bound to rub off on their children if they listened. Although these misconceptions have mostly cleared up over the decades, they still exist in some form or another. There’s a common belief that metalheads (along with participants in other alternative subcultures such as goth and emo) always suffer from depression or engage in self-harm, but this just isn’t the case, and isn’t significantly more common than in other circles. Extreme or unclean vocals (informally known as “screaming”) are also a contributor to metal’s unruly reputation and, to untrained ears, can definitely sound like disorderly nonsense. The music might come across as aggressive and off-putting to some, but for people who enjoy it, it can actually derive a sense of calm and release. Metalheads and other listeners of alternative or extreme music genres find solace in the chaos. Especially in a messy world with messy emotions, they need a “messy” way to get it all out. Despite its unseemly reputation that has persisted since its beginning, the benefits of metal and other extreme genres of music heavily outweigh the detriments to avid listeners of the genres: from the music being used as a method of catharsis to a like-minded community that serves as protection against the world many metalheads feel outcasted from.
By Erin Lockhart5 years ago in Beat
